Counting aid

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a counting aid. Said aid is made up of various coloured geometric bodies ( 10, 12, 14 ) and each body is represented by a number and has a specific geometric form and a specific colour. Each decimal step position (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands) is associated with a specific geometric form, and each number (0-9) is associated with a colour.

The present invention relates to an aid for learning the calculationconsisting of differently coloured geometric bodies.

The modern psychology of learning detects increasingly and frequentlycalculation disorder. With children having such so-called calculationdisorder, the learning of calculation is substantially impeded. In thisconnection already aids for learning the calculation are knownconsisting of different geometric bodies. With these aids however alonea sufficient success in learning is not possible.

It is therefore the task to be solved by the present invention toimprove such aids for learning the calculation in such a way that thesuccess in learning can be substantially increased.

According to the invention, this task is solved by an aid according tothe present species for learning the calculation in which each body isrepresenting a figure and is having a definite geometric shape and adefinite colour, wherein each decimal step position (e.g. ones, tens,hundreds, thousands) a special geometric shape is allocated and eachnumber (0 to 9) is allocated a colour. In this connection deliberategeometric shapes can be chosen for the respective decimal steppositions, wherein however within the aid according to the invention ageometric shape once chosen for the respective decimal position alwayshas to remain the same.

In this connection, it is preferred to choose the geometric shapes ofthe bodies in such a way that the bodies can be piled up above eachother. In this way, the success in learning can be increased further.

In this connection, an allocation is preferred in which the stepposition “Ones” is assigned the geometric shape “cube”, the stepposition “Tens” is allocated the geometric shape “cylinder”, the stepposition “Hundred” the geometric shape “right parallelepiped” and thestep position “Thousands” the geometric shape “right parallelepipedhaving notches”.

Further it is preferred that each body, in addition to the colouring, isinscribed with the corresponding number.

For further increasing the success in learning, additionally tables canbe presented on which the numbers are depicted formed by thecorresponding bodies or the corresponding two-dimensional areas.

In this connection, it is especially preferred to represent on thetables the numbers 1 to 100 in ten lines and ten columns.

Further, a advantageous solution is achieved if on the tables thenumbers 0 to 99 are represented in ten lines and ten columns.

To create the possibility to set further tasks for the children forlearning, it is preferred that additionally uncoloured bodies arepresent having the corresponding geometric shapes.

In the following, the invention is more detailly described withreference to the exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings. In thedrawings show:

FIG. 1 a structure table of numbers for the numbers 1 to 100, whereinsimultaneously the corresponding bodies according to the invention areshown three-dimensionally;

FIG. 2 a simplified form of the structure table of numbers 1 to 100according to the invention;

FIG. 3 a structure table of numbers according to the invention for thenumbers 0 to 99, wherein the individual bodies are shownthree-dimensionally;

FIG. 4 a corresponding structure table of numbers for the numbers 0 to99, in which the corresponding bodies only are shown symbolically andtwo-dimensionally, and

FIG. 5 a listing for the allocation of the hatching in FIGS. 1 to 4 tothe corresponding colours.

According to the invention, an aid for learning the calculation iscreated consisting of differently coloured geometric bodies 10, 12, 14.Each body 10, 12, 14 is representing a number and is having a definitegeometric shape and a definite colour. Here, each decimal step position,i.e. ones, tens, hundreds, and thousands, a definite geometric shape isassigned and each number 0 to 9 a colour is assigned. According to thepresent exemplary embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4,number 1 has the colour light-green, number 2 the colour red, number 3the colour dark-blue, number 4 the colour pink, number 5 the colouryellow, number 6 the colour lilac, number 7 the colour brown, number 8the colour dark-green, number 9 the colour orange, and number 0 thecolour light-blue. Of course for representing the individual numbersdifferent colours are possible, too. Within one and the same aidaccording to the invention however the allocation of numbers and colourstill has to be remain unchanged. Further according to the exemplaryembodiment of the invention shown in the drawings each step position,i.e. each decimal position of the numbers, a geometric shape isassigned. In the present example the ones is assigned the shape of acube, the tens is assigned the shape of a cylinder, the hundreds isassigned the shape of a right parallelepiped and thousand is assignedthe shape of a parallelepiped having notches. Additionally, on each ofthe bodies 10, 12, 14, in addition to the corresponding colouring, theassigned number from 0 to 9 is printed.

To enable further calculations, additionally uncoloured bodies in therespective geometric shape can be provided by the means of whichaggregates for representing a number can be formed.

According to the exemplary embodiment shown, a complete set of bodiesfor the aid according to the invention for learning calculation isconsisting of fifty five uncoloured cubes, ten coloured cubes (havingthe numbers 0 to 9 and with each number being coloured with therespective colour), ten coloured cylinders (number 0 to 9 and eachnumber coloured in the corresponding colour) as well as ten colouredright parallelepipeds (number 0 to 9 and each number coloured in thecorresponding colour) as well as ten coloured right parallelepipedshaving notches (number 0 to 9 and each number with the correspondingcolour).

As a further aid for learning the calculation according to the inventionstructure tables of numbers 20, 22, 24, 26 are provided. FIG. 1 isshowing such a structure table 20 of numbers for the numbers 1 to 100 ina three-dimensional representation of the corresponding bodies 10, 12,14 corresponding to the respective numbers 1 to 100. The body 10 here isa cube having the colour light-green which is corresponding to thenumber 1. On the right side thereof a cube in red is followingcorresponding to the number 2 and so on up to the combination of alight-green cylinder with a light-green cube for the number 10. Thecylinder-shaped bodies 12 followingly always are representing therespective tens position. On the structure table 20 of numbers shown inthe first line the numbers 1 to 10 in the second line the numbers 11 to20 and so on are positioned up to the tenth line containing the numbers91 to 100. The hundred here always is an elongate right parallelepiped14 in a light-green colour. The respective bodies 10, 12, 14 always inaddition to their colour have the corresponding value of numbers printedon. Since the representation in the publications of the German Patentand Trademark Office always has to be in black and white, thecorresponding colours are represented according to the legend in FIG. 5as hatchings. The structure table of numbers shown in FIG. 1 thereforeis showing the respective numbers 1 to 100 as these can be representedby means of the bodies 10, 12, 14 according to the invention in athree-dimensional representation. Additionally, the table is showing thefunction of the bodies 10, 12, 14 according to the invention as an aidfor learning the calculation.

For pedagogic reasons it can be suitable, however, to show thecorresponding structure table 22 of numbers with the numbers 1 to 100 ina more abstract way. This kind of representation is shown in FIG. 2which instead of the three-dimensionally shown bodies 10, 12, 14 iscontaining corresponding two-dimensional areas 30, 32, 34 which, too,are shown in different geometric shapes and the same colour coding. Inthe present exemplary embodiment therefore the decimal step positionOnes is shown by a square, the decimal step position Tens by an oval 32and the decimal step position Hundreds by an oblong hexagonal 34.

FIG. 3 is showing a corresponding structure table 24 of numbers with athree-dimensional representation of the individual bodies 10, 12, 14like in FIG. 1. In this case however it is the structure table ofnumbers from 0 to 99 which therefore is to be to show the “hundredsspace”. Here in the first line the numbers 0 to 9, in the second linethe numbers 10 to 19 and so on are positioned up to the tenth linecontaining the numbers 90 to 99.

FIG. 4 is showing a structure table 26 of numbers, too, for the numbers0 to 99 as in FIG. 3, wherein here the decimal step positions howeverinstead of the direct three-dimensional representation of the bodies areshown as two-dimensional areas as in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 merely is showing the legend for allocating the hatchings used inthe black and white drawings with the corresponding colours, wherein thecorresponding designation of the colour is shown.

The invention, however, is not limited to the corresponding tables withthe numbers 1 to 100 or 0 to 99. Contrary “partial spaces” can berepresented as for example the numbers 0 to 19 or 1 to 20.

Tests with children having calculation disorder have shown that by meansof the aid according to the invention described above substantialsuccesses in learning calculation can be achieved which are unachievablewith other pedagogic aids or are achievable with far more difficulty.

1-8. (canceled)
 9. An aid for learning calculation comprising:differently colored geometric bodies (10, 12, 14), wherein each bodyrepresents a number and has a geometric shape and a color; wherein eachgeometrical shape defines a decimal step position (ones, tens, hundreds,thousands); and wherein each color defines a number.
 10. The aidaccording to claim 9 wherein the geometric shapes of the bodies (10, 12,14) are chosen such that the bodies (10, 12, 14) can be stacked aboveeach other.
 11. The aid according to claim 9 wherein a step position“One” is assigned with a cube shape, a step position “Ten” is assignedwith a cylindrical shape, a step position “Hundred” is assigned with a“right parallelepiped” shape, and a step position “Thousands” isassigned with a “right parallelepiped” shape with notches.
 12. The aidaccording to claim 9 wherein the corresponding number is inscribed oneach colored body (10, 12, 14).
 13. The aid according to claim 9 furthercomprising tables (20, 22, 24, 26) in which the numbers are depictedrepresented by the corresponding bodies (10, 12, 14) or correspondingtwo-dimensional areas (30, 32, 34).
 14. The aid according to claim 13wherein the tables (20, 22) include the numbers 1 to 100 depicted in tenlines and ten columns.
 15. The aid according to claim 13 wherein thetables (24, 26) include the numbers 1 to 99 depicted in ten lines andten columns.
 16. The aid according to claim 9 further comprisinguncolored bodies having corresponding geometric shapes.